Chapter 426: Sea Hunter Island
In the first half of the Grand Line, near the Calm Belt, lies an island known as Sea Hunter Island.
The island buzzes with prosperity.
Tall buildings stand in neat rows, while ancient stone streets spread out in an orderly fashion.
Crowds of people bustle through the streets.
Traffic flows heavily.
Large trucks carry goods, with the most common cargo being enormous chunks of meat.
These were cuts of meat from Sea Kings. They are being taken to temporary processing plants to be processed or frozen.
Later, sea traders will transport the meat to other islands.
This island is dedicated to hunting sea monsters, known as Sea Kings.
With the dawn of the great Martial Arts Era, many people have gained the key to becoming stronger.
This has brought immense changes across the world, with the frenzy of the era sweeping through.
Various industries worldwide have faced severe impacts.
One of the most affected is the emerging hunting industry.
As some people embraced the craze of the Great Martial Arts Era, the food industry transformed.
The agricultural sector, along with fisheries, animal husbandry, and orchards, began to flourish under the guidance of major forces.
Later, some turned their attention to the sea beasts and even the Sea Kings of the vast ocean.
The reason is simple.
These massive creatures are so large that a single one can feed many people.
Moreover, their meat, certified by the strong, contains far higher energy or calories than that of ordinary animals or fish.
It is better suited for physical training.
Thus, with the establishment of the Hunters Association, this unique group of hunters began to grow rapidly.
This led to the explosive expansion of the hunting industry.
Sea Hunter Island is a product of this era.
Originally, this place was not called Sea Hunter Island; it was merely an unnamed island in the sea.
Only a small town with a few thousand residents occupied it.
That changed when several large chambers of commerce, backed by powerful forces, chose this location.
The island, spanning over twenty kilometers in diameter, is sizable. It is also strategically located near the Calm Belt, but not too close.
The surrounding sea is filled with sea monsters or Sea Kings, some tens of meters tall.
Additionally, the island connects to multiple nearby islands, allowing goods to be quickly distributed.
This geographical advantage made it ideal.
In less than a year, the island underwent rapid development.
Various buildings sprang up, and the hunting industry thrived.
Many hunters were drawn to the island.
Ordinary people, seeing business opportunities, arrived with their families aboard merchant ships to settle here.
In a short time, the population swelled to over one hundred thousand.
Numerous factions established their bases on the island.
Among them, the Hunters Association set up a branch here.
The endless stream of people drowned out the sound of footsteps.
A man wearing black-framed glasses walked through the bustling street.
He observed the crowd around him.
Here, one could see people dressed in various outfits coming and going, their faces carrying a kind of warm emotion.
This was because most who came to this island arrived with hopes and dreams.
Their emotions were generally positive.
"It is such a lively scene," the man murmured to himself.
This man was Aizen, who had come to this world from the Soul Society.
After becoming the captain of Fifth Division in the Soul Society, he appointed Unshō as the deputy captain.
The former vice-captain, Hyōban, was reassigned to the third seat, and the ranks shifted accordingly.
It was as if all the officers of the Fifth Division had been given an extra seat out of nowhere.
Afterward, Aizen entrusted everything to Unshō.
Then, he journeyed to this world.
This island was the first stop of his travels.
Aizen stopped in front of a tall, towering building.
This was the Hunters Association branch.
Though it did not appear overly grand from the outside, it exuded a simple yet majestic aura.
The building’s main structure was made of beige boulders, plain yet sturdy, adorned with minimal decorations.
At the top of the building flew a flag.
The flag had a white background, with downward-facing knives and swords.
A flame burned at their intersection, and red beads of blood slid down the blade.
This was the flag of the Hunters Association, symbolizing the hunters’ resolve.
Aizen gazed at the flag fluttering high above for a moment before stepping into the grand building.
Inside, the flow of people continued.
Most of those present shared a common trait.
They wore armbands on one arm, typically bronze in color.
The armbands bore the emblem of the Hunters Association.
Aizen’s eyes scanned the hall.
The white floor tiles and striking walls framed three bar-like counters.
Two counters stood on the left, alongside a staircase, and three more were on the right.
Each counter had several receptionists attending to the hunters coming and going.
Occasionally, individuals with silver-white armbands could be seen ascending the staircase on the left.
Many lingered in front of task boards on the walls, where various tasks were posted.
Aizen glanced at the task boards.
The tasks were diverse: hunting, guarding, escorting, protecting, searching for items, gathering food, collecting intelligence, serving as mercenaries, and even mining.
However, this mining was not for ordinary minerals but for a resource called magic stone.
Aizen took a brief look before approaching a counter.
"Hello, sir," a receptionist greeted Aizen with a warm smile. "Are you here to post a task or to register as a hunter?"
Though the job was tiring due to the constant stream of hunters, it paid well.
So, despite her mouth feeling stiff, the receptionist maintained her smile.
"I am here to register as a hunter," Aizen replied.
The receptionist nodded promptly.
Unless they officially joined the Hunters Association, hunters maintained a relatively equal relationship with the organization.
The Hunters Association provided a platform for tasks, and hunters selected tasks to sustain themselves.
It was a straightforward arrangement.
At that moment, the receptionist took a piece of paper and a pen from the desk and handed them to Aizen and said,"Please fill in your basic information first."
The form requested basic details such as name, gender, age, height, weight, and place of birth.
These details were not mandatory, and some even provided false information.
But that did not matter.
The so-called basic information was merely tied to an identity needed to accept tasks.
Low-level hunters attracted little attention.
Only high-level hunters were scrutinized closely.
Soon, Aizen filled in the information selectively.
The receptionist used a phone on the desk to take a photo of Aizen’s face and paired it with the information sheet.
"Sir, you now need to take a task and undergo a hunter level evaluation," the receptionist said, looking at Aizen.
Fearing he might not understand, she began to explain.
Registering as a hunter did not guarantee success. After filling in the basic information, one had to take and complete a task.
The initial hunter level would be determined based on the task’s difficulty and completion.
The reason for not conducting a direct strength assessment was simple.
There were too many hunters.
The Hunters Association lacked the manpower to evaluate each one individually, so they relied on the initial task to set the level.
However, the choice of initial tasks was limited.
Tasks like escorting, group hunting, or guarding had specific hunter level requirements.
Someone who was not yet a formal hunter would not be selected for such tasks.
Unless, of course, they worked without reward.
In that case, employers might be willing to help them become official hunters.
This was a current loophole, a side effect of the industry’s rapid growth.
( End of this Chapter )